


Learning To Love

by GreatestDog



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Asriel and Chara live, Asriel just wants everybody to be happy, Chara Is Their Own Warning, Chara and Frisk as nuanced abuse survivors, Child Abuse, Everybody Lives, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kinda, Nonbinary Chara and Frisk, Other, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Soft Chara, but for good reasons, chara is a dick, or at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-10-04 16:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10282664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreatestDog/pseuds/GreatestDog
Summary: What if Chara and Asriel never went through with their plan?What if another child fell into the Underground far before they'd ordinarily be due?What happens when a kid who hates humans meets one human they can't bear to hate?Featuring Asriel as the best big brother ever, and Chara as...well...They try?





	1. Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I owe this idea to a random anonymous person I met. If they read this, they'll know who they are.

Chara stared for a moment. It was unavoidable. The patch of dirt where they'd first fallen looked...pristine. Untouched. A thin ray of sunlight shone down through the aperture above.

This was where their life had changed forever. For the better.

This was where the single best thing they'd ever experienced had happened.

For a moment, they paused.

 And then they turned to leave.

 

 Of course, that was when they heard the screaming.

* * *

 

 

There was a horrendous crack, and then a few moments of agonizing silence after the human hit the ground. 

 Chara could only stare. They couldn't see much besides a bloody, limp pile of blue and purple clothes. A brown head of hair was vaguely visible.

  _....are they dead?_

 They waited, not daring to go closer.

 The human groaned.

  _Damn it. Still alive, then._ It had clearly been wishful thinking, that the human would've just died on impact. All too aware of the knife they had up their sleeve, they took a few hesitant steps forward.

 "Hey. Human. Get up."

 Another groan.

 Chara stepped closer, within kicking distance. "Human! Get up. You...you can't stay here."

 The human groaned again, rolling over and opening their eyes. For the first time, Chara could see their face. They looked...young. Younger than them, at least. They couldn't be older than ten.

 Chara had to resist the urge to sigh. "Get the hell up!"  _I don't have time for this. I gotta get back to Mom and Dad and Az and UGH DAMNIT THERE'S A FUCKING HUMAN IN THE UNDERGROUND!_

 A small, weak voice crawled from the human's throat. "My ankle..."

Chara looked down and grimaced, because  _holy hell an ankle isn't meant to be turned that way._ They paused for a moment, thinking, before they reached into their pocket and drew out a small, wrapped piece of 'monster candy'. 

"Here. Take this." they said calmly.

The kid's eyes brightened. "...Thank you! What flavor is i-" And then Chara twisted their ankle violently, setting the bone back into place. Their voice turned upwards in a shriek of pain.

 Chara didn't even flinch. "Eat the candy. It'll mend the break and take the pain away." they said, a bored undertone to their words.

 The kid, chest heaving, quickly unwrapped and ate the candy. In an instant, their breathing slowed and their mouth turned to a smile. "Wow! That's amazing! Thank you!"

 Chara was suspicious. This kid hadn't even questioned them. Hadn't even questioned where they were. "Who are you? What's your name, human?"  
  
Their eyes wide and bright, the child spoke. "Frisk!" and then "Why do you keep calling me 'human'? Are you a human?"

  _Sadly._  
"Shut up. I ask the questions, here!" Chara practically  _growled_ the words, wondering if pulling their knife would give them more authority.

  
To their credit, the human shut their mouth, recoiling with their chest heaving.

  
"... Why? Why did you have to come down here!?" Chara sat down in the dirt, panting. "We don't  _need_ any humans down here! It was all fine! And now you're here and people are gonna come look for you and  _UGH!"_   They pounded their fist into the dirt.

Clearly, humans were the worst thing one could be.

 The kid was breathing heavily, their eyes wider than before. They looked close to tears, and they slowly raised their hand.

 Chara glared. "What!?" 

 The human's hand started to shake. "I-I was just wondering if I-I could talk...please..."

Chara could only scoff at that. "What could you possibly have to say that'd fix this?! You don't even know how much you've fucked things u-"

 "Nobody is gonna look for me."

"What?" Chara froze. 

"N-Nobody wanted me, up there. Nobody is gonna come looking for me." The kid, or  _Frisk_ , as they'd said their name was, kept talking. "You're right. I shouldn't be here. I-I'm sure if you can f-find a rope or something I can climb out and leave."

 _I **wish**_ _it were that simple._

 "Ugh. Whatever. Alright." Chara sighed. A plan was beginning to form in their mind "This place isn't like you're used to. There's monsters down here. Real monsters. And they're the nicest, most kindest,  _best_ people you'll ever meet. So you'd better not lay a hand on them."

Frisk just nodded, seemingly still sticking to the 'shut up' from earlier.  
  
"Now...come on. I, uh, know where to find a rope. We just have to go to the king's castle."


	2. Ruins

Chara led the way into the ruins, Frisk trailing behind slowly. 

"Hurry up. It's easy to get lost." Chara snapped

Frisk nodded, their step quickening. They opened their mouth to talk, and quickly closed it. The earlier command to 'shut up' was clearly still ringing in their head.

Chara noticed. "You...You can talk now, you know. "

At that, Frisk visibly relaxed. "How far is it? To...wherever we're going?"

Chara could only sigh. "Too far. It'll be awhile."

They passed through a room with a large, dying tree in the center of it. Frisk seemed to pause for a moment before following Chara up the staircase and into the next room.

A sign was on the wall. Chara paused, assuming that the younger child would want to read it. 

Frisk just stopped behind them, staring blankly.

"Don't want to read the sign?" they asked Frisk slowly.

Frisk just shook their head. "I...can't read."

_...Of course you can't._

They continued onwards through the ruins. It didn't take long. The leftover puzzles had been long since deactivated, and there was no reason to rearm them. 

Frisk seemed to pay close attention to their surroundings as they followed behind Chara, taking in every detail.

"This place is pretty." they said quietly.

Chara nodded. "Yeah. It is." and then, almost as an afterthought. "And that's why you can't stay."

Frisk blinked, freezing in place. Chara looked over their shoulder at the younger child.

"You're human. You understand that? You'll only make things worse here. It's a miracle I haven't managed to muck things up  _too_ much. One human is as much evil as this place can take."

Frisk cast their eyes downward and nodded. "I get it. I promise. I'll leave as soon as I can."

_I wish you could._

* * *

 

Soon, they'd arrived at Home. 

The house's windows were dark. 

"Stay here. Let me make sure everything is safe in there."

Chara peeked inside the door. Inside, the house was dark and still. The rooms were devoid of furniture, the floors covered in a thick layer of dust. 

"Alright. Come on. Head down the stairs." Chara said with authority. Frisk followed them into the old home, and though they seemed to move slower through the darkness, they managed to make it down the stairs without a problem.

There was yet another long hallway. Frisk kept a hand on the wall, while Chara walked confidently over the stone floor. In but a moment, they'd arrived at the door to Snowdin's forest. It was slightly ajar, thanks to Chara's early trek. 

"C'mon. Let's get going."

 

* * *

Chara stifled a shiver as Snowdin's chill bit at them through their sweater. They walked through the snow quickly, only occasionally peeking back to make sure Frisk was still following.

And follow they did, albeit slowly.

"What's your deal?" Chara asked, watching them lag behind.

Frisk stiffened. " 's cold..." they said slowly, hunching over and drawing their arms around them.   
Chara only then realized that Frisk was only wearing a thin long-sleeve shirt and pants.

"...Ugh. Can't get you to the castle if you're frozen. Here." Slowly, Chara eased out of their green sweater, slipping their knife into a spot at the small of their back. Underneath they wore a plain brown undershirt.

It was impossible for Frisk to avoid seeing the many, many pale, thin scars that criss-crossed their arms.

They opened their mouth, gaping, and a sudden look from Chara made them shut it.

Chara shoved the sweater at them. "Put it on. It'll keep you warm. It's well made."

Frisk smiled then, smiled wider than Chara had ever seen, and put on the sweater. 

Chara shivered slightly, now braving Snowdin's climate with only a t-shirt. "Let's get moving."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Snowdin

Frisk couldn't seem to keep themself from staring at the beautiful landscape around them. Chara understood how they felt. The Underground was a far cry from the surface above. A land of impossibilities, like warm food and caring people. 

The older human had to fight to keep their teeth from chattering as they marched through the snow. Snowdin's climate was more suited toward furred creatures, not humans, and certainly not humans dressed as Chara was.

A small voice spoke up behind them. "Um. I don't know your name...." 

Chara sighed. "Chara." They looked over their shoulder to catch Frisk wearing a tiny smile.

_Ugh. Why did they have to be a kid?_

Kids were far harder to hate. Human children were still somewhat innocent, as the latent evil that laid within all humans hadn't come to the surface yet. It was much easier to ignore in a child.

Despite everything, Chara had a question of their own. 

_Should I bother asking? Why do I want to know more about this kid anyways? It's stupid._

They went for it anyways. _  
_

"Kid. Just wondering, here, are you a boy, or a girl, or...."   
  
Frisk went very still, and Chara raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, do I have to answer?" Frisk looked a bit shaky.

Chara scoffed. "No. I don't even really care. Just wondering. Why don't you want to answer?"

And then the reply: "Because, I don't want to lie to you, but I don't want you to hit me if I tell you the truth."

The older human took a moment to process that. "...why would I hit you?"

 Frisk tugged at the sleeve of their sweater. "Because..." they started, looking at Chara's feet. "I don't really feel like a boy or a girl. I don't really think I'm either one." As soon as the words were out of their mouth, their shut their eyes slightly, as if expecting a blow.

_That is...a coincidence. Huh._

Chara had never met another human who'd shared that particular trait of theirs.   
  
They spoke slowly. "Well...that's fine. You don't **have** to be one or the other. There's plenty of monsters down here like that. You shouldn't let people decide who you should be."

Frisk opened their eyes, and for a moment, Chara could've sworn that they could see stars in them.

"So," Chara said slowly. "...Who hit you when you answered that question?"

Frisk stiffened. There was a beat, a pause, and then a hesitant reply. "...M-my parents. They ..did it a lot.... B-but don't tell them I told you. I'm not allowed to tell anyone..." 

And Chara suddenly remembered exactly  _why_   they hated humans.

_Disgusting. Treating a child like this like that._

_"_ Humans are the worst." they said flatly.

Frisk flinched at that, and Chara kept walking ahead. 

 

* * *

 

 

It was nearly an hour later when they arrived at the bridge to Snowdin.

Frisk froze as soon as they saw it. Their escort didn't even notice them stop, and continued right up to the bridge before they spotted the motionless child.

Chara, not comprehending, just looked at them blankly. "It's just a bridge. It's safe, trust me. It's been there for years."  
  
And then the younger child shook their head. "Heights."

Chara nodded, grinding their teeth. "Come on, then. You can...hold my hand, I guess...If that helps."

That seemed to work, and Frisk took a few tentative steps closer, reaching out their hand. Chara took it, trying to dull the slight shake their hand gave, and immediately noticed how warm Frisk's hand was compared to their own. 

 _We gotta stop in the town...I'm gonna fucking freeze to death if we don't._  

"Got a good grip?" they asked.

Frisk nodded.

Chara stepped out onto the bridge, which was deceivingly stable. Frisk followed slowly behind them, holding onto Chara's hand with both of their own, grabbing so tightly that one would think that the appendage was quite literally the only thing keeping them alive.

In just a few moments, they were across, Frisk's chest heaving.

"Are you alright?" Chara asked them.

Frisk managed a nod.

"Then come on. We gotta stop up here."

* * *

Snowdin Town was exactly the kind of picturesque village that human's dreamed of. Frisk seemed enraptured in the tiny town, standing motionless as they took in the cheerful atmosphere, the brightly lit tree, and the cheerful monster children who played in front of the storefronts.

"This place is so..." They grinned. "So nice..."

Chara nodded. "It's a pretty nice place to live. Better than anywhere on the surface, at least. Now, follow me."

The pair soon found themselves in a tiny store, a cheerful-looking bunny monster looking at them with a smile.

The bunny spoke. "Oh, Chara Dreemurr! I didn't expect to see royalty today!"

Chara rolled their eyes.  _I'm hardly royalty._ _Not even close._

Regardless of what Asgore and Toriel told them, regardless of what they told _everyone_ , there was no way that they actually considered Chara their child. Who would want that, after all? Who'd want somebody like them in their family? They couldn't believe it. Refused to. It didn't make sense.

And then the shopkeeper's eyes landed on Frisk. 

"Oh, aren't you the most precious little thing?" she asked.

Frisk seemed startled, and flinched slightly, stepping behind Chara.

"Aw, " said the shopkeep. "They're shy. I expect you're taking them to the capital?" 

Chara, still shivering, managed a nod.  "I need some two cinnamon bunnies and something warm to wear."

The shopkeeper nodded, grabbing the cinnamon bunnies from behind the counter, and then she disappeared into a back closet. She returned with a single, tattered wool scarf.

"I'm sorry honey, but this is all I have for clothing."

Chara nodded. "I'll take it. How much for everything?"

The bunny shook her head. "For you? Nothing, dear. Your presence in my little shop is enough."

At that, Chara grimaced.  _If I was her, I'd be paying ME so that I'd leave. Why does she even want me in here?_

 They grabbed a few gold coins, probably more than enough to pay for their food and scarf, and laid the money on the counter. The bunny behind the counter hadn't gotten out a word before Chara had snatched the scarf and food and dashed out the door, pulling Frisk behind them.

* * *

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for the delay. I've been kinda having a rough time. Haven't had much time to write, or motivation to. Hopefully, though, I can start back up again.

Chara didn't say another word, leading Frisk briskly through the town.  _Why? Why does everyone think that I'm **so** special?  _ Chara kicked at a small snow poff, obliterating it.  _I'm a **human**. They should be spitting in my face. They would, if they had any sense. _

They were forced to pause as a small, scarfed mouse ran past, giggling while a friend chased after them.  _They don't even realize how many risks they're taking just by being near me._

Besides them, Frisk was watching the monster children play, fascinated. Unfortunately, Chara had no plans to linger, taking Frisk by the hand and bringing them towards the river. A long wooden skiff sat there, gently floating in the icy water with a cloaked figure standing on its bow. Wasting little time, Chara stepped aboard and turned to see Frisk hesitating. 

"It's fine. This boat has been ferrying passengers throughout the underground for over a hundred years. Just get in." Chara said impatiently.

The smaller human stepped aboard, gingerly, and reached for Chara's hand. 

Chara sighed and rolled their eyes before letting the child take it. Then they turned to the Riverperson. "We need to get to Hotland." they said shortly.

The riverperson nodded, and the boat set off through the water at a speed that would be impossible if not for magic. 

As the cave darkened and the snow faded into shades of blue and black, Chara found themselves sitting down, and, automatically, Frisk sat too.

_They're so...quiet. Is it because I told them to shut up earlier?_

"You may talk, if you wish."

Frisk's eyes brightened. "That nice lady in the store....she said you were royalty?"

Chara cast their eyes downward. "Hardly. I live with the royal family. That is all."

"Royal family? Wait, so they live in the castle? Where we're going?"

"I thought that was established."

"Am I going to meet them?"

Chara frowned. Monsters were so fragile in comparison to humans...what if this was all some ploy, some kind of trap? What if, as soon as they arrived, Frisk...

_No, that is ridiculous. You cannot worry for every possible risk you take, Chara._

Nonetheless, the human wouldn't make it out of their sight.

"Possibly." Chara decided to leave that decision for later.

Frisk tugged at the sleeve of their sweater before meeting Chara's eyes. "Why'd you run from her?"

 _That's enough questions_. "Here. Eat this." Chara thrust one of the cinnamon bunnies towards Frisk, who took it with a smile. Chara looked away.  

* * *

 

 

 

Waterfall was beautiful, something that Frisk seemed to appreciate. They laid back in the boat, staring up at the crystals in the ceiling with wonder in their eyes. In the dim light of the marsh, Chara could  _just_ make out their smile. 

 

 Nonetheless, Chara wasn't put at ease. Every extra inch towards the castle felt like torture. They were bringing a  _human_ to the castle. To where the people they loved lived. Even if Frisk  _was_ just a child...Was the risk worth taking? Even if they didn't have any intention to hurt anyone, how would they react when they learned there was no way to leave? What if they turned violent?

  
It was driving them mad. If Frisk somehow hurt any of the monsters, it'd be solidly on Chara for bringing them here...

  
They nibbled at their cinnamon bunny, their stomach turning.

  
If Frisk was truly as... _innocent_ as they seemed, Chara would certainly owe them an apology. But then, Chara was used to apologizing. And the feelings of a  _human_ rated far below the lives of the monsters.

 

The air suddenly started to lighten, the dark tunnel turning a warm shade of orange. A solid wave of heat washed over them, and Frisk sat up, confused.

"W-What is-why is it so..."

Chara stood up straight.

  
"It's called  **Hotland** for a reason. Get ready to go. It's best not to linger too long here."

 


End file.
